


Bright Star in a Dim Universe

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: First Times, M/M, Other: See Story Notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 03:21:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/793445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Simon and Rafe solve a case and figure out what's going between them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bright Star in a Dim Universe

**Author's Note:**

> Ummm, I was having a bad day and needed something to cheer me 

## Bright Star in a Dim Universe

by Meg

Author's disclaimer: I don't own them, Pet Fly does. 

up. Jim and Blair are here, but in a limited sense. You do get to see them though.   


* * *

Rafe staggered into Major Crimes, as he had for the last week, and tossed himself carelessly into the nearest chair. The young detective reached for the stack of files that covered his desk, some more than 20 years old. 

"LeAndra, Darcy, Margaret, Carrie, Mary, Marisa, Wendy . . .." 

Jim Ellison looked up as the faint muttering reached his ears, leaning toward his partner. 

"Chief, should we ask Simon now? He's beginning to obsess." Blair shivered as the warm breath of his lover tickled his ear. He felt the goosebumps rise on his arms, even in the heat of the Bull Pen and concentrated on responding to the question he knew had been asked. Not trusting his voice, Blair nodded and shivered. 

Jim grinned, then turned back to the report he'd been working on. He worked for another half hour before the scent of a cigar teased at his senses. 

"He's in the parking garage, Chief." 

Blair nodded slightly and straightened up in his chair, just as Simon Banks walked through the door, crossing the room with large rolling predatory strides. The black Captain stopped briefly for a quiet muttered conversation with one of the older file clerks, motioning at the thin man still methodically sifting through files. 

"He's asking which files Rafe had pulled and how long he's been here looking at them. Anthony said that Rafe'd only been here a while this morning, but that he'd seen record sign-outs as late as three this morning." The two men saw Simon motioning with his hands gently and Anthony nodding. Simon strode into his office, closing the door behind him. 

"Let's go. . . ." 

* * *

"What do you two want?" Simon growled from desk, looking at them from over the rim of his coffee cup. 

"Well, we thought that we might offer our assistance to Rafe, with your permission of course." Blair opened his mouth and spoke quickly. 

Jim smiled at the younger man standing next to him, then turning back to face his boss. "Simon, he's a good detective, but he's beginning to obsess over the Watson case." 

"I know. I talked to Anthony this morning. This is a high profile case and the Mayor and I have already had this conversation this morning. I was ordered to personally take an interest in this case." Simon grimaced and shook his head. "In addition to that, the Chief has decided that we need to follow the 24 hour Dynamic Group Response scenarios for all new Homicides. He has also extended that to Major Crimes." 

Blair picked up the memo that Simon thrust across the desk at them. Skimming it quickly, he looked up at his partner and their boss. 

"It says here that I'm to head this new Response crew _and_ that I'll get paid for it?" Blair asked, his voice rising, beginning to bounce as his mind flew at the possibilities evident in the offer. "I'll get benefits, paid time and get to stay with Jim?" 

Simon smiled. "Yes, it does. I recommended you for several reasons, not the least of is that our departmental solve rate is up, we have fewer victim complaints and it means that I'm not going to be putting on of my detectives in jeopardy by leaving him without a partner." 

* * *

Simon watched the detective slink further into the chair as he closed the blinds, preventing the rest of the detectives from seeing into his office. 

"Rafe." 

"Simon, listen. I know everyone thinks I'm obsessed with the Watson case and I'm pretty sure you're going to remove me from it at least until H is back. He's only got two more weeks of paternity leave, so it's not the time factor involved, so it must be the political pressure. Am I right?" 

Simon took a deep breath and released it slowly. his subconscious replied, supplying a picture of the younger man at the department gym a few weeks earlier, focusing on the slow, easy glide of muscles working against each other. 

"Rafe. I'm not removing you from the case. Yet. I will, however, be taking over as your partner until H is back." Simon leaned back and watched his announcement sink in. The confusion was quickly followed by relief. The light that had been absent reappeared and the detective relaxed. 

"Thank you." 

"Let's go over the files so far and see what you have." Simon said. 

* * *

"Okay, all the victims were between the ages of 21 and 34, they all had long hair and tended to be quiet, studious types, right?" Simon pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head slightly 

He looked up, watching the man across from him squirm, the muscles bunching and moving under the thin shirt he wore. Simon mentally shook himself and tried to shift his thoughts from the mildly erotic to business. Instead he received a flash of a mental picture, the olive skin of his detective glistening as his mouth opened in a silent 'o' of pleasure, Simon's eyes devouring the expanse of skin beneath him as they twisted against each other on rumpled sheets, the musky smell of sex in the air. Shaking the image off, he cleared his throat, focusing on the paperwork that covered his desk. 

"Yes, Sir. And that's about all they had in common, except that two of the victims, Carrie and Wendy lived in the same apartment building. As a matter of fact, all the victims lived in the "student ghetto" downtown." 

"Did they all attend Rainier?" 

Rafe sighed. "No, Sir. Only three of the victims were attending classes there. None in common." 

Both men looked at the door as a quiet knock sounded. The door slowly swung open and Blair peeked around it. 

"Simon, Jim and I are about to leave." 

"Blair, come in here a minute." 

Blair signalled to Jim and entered the office, swinging the door closed behind him. "What can I do for you?" 

"The Watson case. I know you and Jim have looked it over with Rafe, did you see anything that we might be missing? Living arrangements, kids, anything at all?" Simon asked. 

"Nope. I know that there's something that I'm missing, but I can't put my finger on it." 

"What about any connection with the university?" Rafe asked, his body still slumped in the chair. 

"Not that I know of. I never had any of them as students, and I'm not sure how they could have been connected to the university." Blair leaned against the door, flashes of the victims' photographs flashing through his mind. "Man, I can't even recall seeing any of them around campus." 

"Thanks, Blair. If you think of anything or someone mentions something to you, let us know okay?" Simon smiled at the young consultant. 

"Sure thing, Simon." Blair grinned and bounced on his heels, turning and opening the door. "Bye, Simon, Rafe." 

* * *

"What'd Simon want, babe?" Jim asked as he tried to toss the salad, Blairs hands caressing his back. 

"Just to ask me about the Watson case. Like, if I'd seen any of them around campus." Blair smiled and moved forward to press his body against that of his Sentinel. Reaching his arms around Jim's broad chest, he plucked at a hard nipple through the thin fabric of the t-shirt that the other man insisted on wearing. _all the more for me to unwrap_ , he thought. 

Jim groaned at the feeling of the large hands playing against his skin and set the salad utensils carefully on the counter before twisting to face his lover. 

"And what do you think our esteemed Captain would say if he saw you now?" Jim asked, pulling the younger man as close as possible, dropping small kisses on his upturned face. 

"Probably something like 'About time, gentlemen.'" Blair said, his voice dropping to imitate the gruff Captain. 

Jim smiled and pulled his partner closer, sniffing the various scents that the day had laid upon his Guide, mentally categorizing and discarding them until he reached the pleasant almost musky smell that always signified 'Blair' to him. 

Blair burrowed closer to his lover and sniffed back, aware that he would never get as much information from this act as Jim did, but loving it anyways. Jim always smelled good to him and he couldn't not smile at the thought that this particular act meant almost as much as kissing did to them. 

"Babe, could we move this upstairs? I think that we might just enjoy it a little more." Jim grinned and Blair matched him with an answering grin. 

The two men raced up the stairs of the loft, laughing and pulling at each other. Blair raced by Jim and landed on the bed a scant second before Jim did. 

"I win." He said, looking at the other man sprawled on the bed before him. 

* * *

Rafe looked at the tired man across the desk, mentally cataloguing the muscles that rippled as he moved, the fit of the starched white shirt that was such a contrast to the glowing dark skin. He felt the pull of attraction that had been present from the time he'd seen Simon Banks on his first day at the Academy. Detective Banks had been presenting a seminar on the new FBI Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, or VICAP. 

"Simon, I need to quit for while. It's almost eight. Wanna grab something to eat and tackle this again tomorrow?" 

Simon straightened in his chair, raising blurred eyes to the younger man. 

"I need to get home anyways. Daryl is coming over this weekend and I need to get something to eat in the house or he'll be ragging me on not eating properly." Simon grinned, "Since Blair started tutoring him in biology, he's gotten both Joan and I to at least think about eating healthy." 

"Blair does have that effect on people. I _never_ thought I'd see Jim 'Mr. Wonderburger' Ellison voluntarily eating 'leaves and sprouts'. If the kid can do that, he can do anything, I think." Rafe grinned and tossed his coat over his arm, gathering the files spread on the surface of the desk between them. "Tomorrow then, Sir." 

"Tomorrow, Rafe." Simon watched his detective walk out of his office, leaving the door open. He watched the interesting play of hips and legs that caused the ass he'd fantasized about to jump and bounce under the thin cotton pants the younger man wore. Simon bit back the groan that accompanied the thought of in exactly what other situations he'd like to see those muscles bounce. 

* * *

A few days later. . . 

Simon looked up as the door to his office was open and quickly shut. 

"Simon, I got it! All the victims shopped at the Long Grain organic food store! And two of them actually worked as part-time baggers there!" Rafe grinned at the man across the desk. 

"That's good work, Rafe. What else do you have for me?" Simon said, a look of pride crossing his face as he stood and crossed to the front of his desk, leaning against it. 

"Well, according to the people who shop at the Long Grain, there have been some problems between the owners and their estranged son, who it happens is Hank Petry." Rafe handed the file that he'd been holding to the taller man. 

"Let's see, three restraining orders, four counts of assault, three later dropped, two charges of rape and assault, and a four year stint in prison for a rape conviction. What a nice contestant. When did he get out?" Simon asked, skimming the thick file. 

"Mr. Hank got out almost eight months ago. His parents gave him a job at the Long Grain as a stockboy, but became estranged when women started to complain about him. He's been living at the Madre de Dios shelter for the last six months. No job, no income, though he helps Father Carlos with repairs to the church." 

"Have you talked to his parents yet?" 

"Yes, this morning. They claim not to know where he's been for the last six months, but they do have written complaints from six of the seven victims about their son." 

"Bingo. Let's go talk to Mr. Petry." Simon shrugged into his coat and grabbed his notebook. 

* * *

"Mr. Petry, open up. I'm Captain Simon Banks of the Cascade Police Department and we need to talk to you." Simon knocked on the door again, hearing the dull echo within the small shelter room. 

"Captain Banks, Mr. Petry isn't here. He hasn't been here for several days." A tall man in clerical dress strode towards the two policemen. He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I'm Father Carlos. I run this shelter. What can I do for you?" 

"Do you know where Mr. Petry went?" Rafe asked, eyeing the priest with curiosity. 

"I'm afraid I don't, We don't keep tabs on the whereabouts of our clients, Captain Banks. I don't know where Hank is." 

"Do you have the master key to this room, Father?" Simon asked. 

Father Carlos, a rough looking man who'd obviously suffered a broken nose at some point in his life, nodded. "Let me get it for you." 

"Sir, I think there's a problem." Rafe watched the retreating back of the clergyman. 

"I do too. What do you think?" Simon asked. 

"Well, either Father Carlos grew a foot and a half and become Caucasian at some point, or that's not Father Carlos. I used to be a patrolman in this neighborhood and Father Carlos and I would talk about the neighborhood. He used to call me when he needed help or wanted to put the fear into a kid." 

"Hank Petry is six feet tall with red hair and brown eyes. Father Carlos, the Father Carlos we just met has brown hair and brown eyes." 

The two men looked at each other, immediately starting down the hallway where the clergyman had disappeared. Turning the corner, the saw the door at the far end slam shut and began to run. 

"Simon, I'll meet you out front." Rafe shouted as he ran towards the front of the shelter. "Stop. Police." 

Simon reached the door and gently tapped it open. He felt, more than saw the heavy form coming at him and flung himself back against the wall. The figure fell through the door, landing face down on the bare concrete. 

Leaning down, Simon gathered the stunned man's wrists and proceeded to cuff them as he recited the Miranda warning. 

* * *

"Well, congratulations, Captain." The Mayor shook Simon's hand while the cameras flashed, capturing images for the following days newspaper. "You and your men once again make the city safe for all of us." 

"Mr. Mayor, Detective Rafe deserves the praise. He tracked all the victims to the Long Grain." 

"Ah yes, please convey my congratulations to him as well." The Mayor turned back to the waiting contingent of press and began to speak. "Ladies and Gentlemen, let me be the first to announce that the Cascade PD will be the first in our region to have a separate 24 Hour Dynamic Response Team, made up of assigned officers and civilian coordinators. This new dedicated team will allow us to solve cases quicker, with fewer technical . . . " 

Simon allowed the Mayor's words to tune out, lowering the volume, turning to the men filling his office and motioning them to leave. "Rafe, I need to see you before you leave." 

"Sure, Simon. What is it?" 

"I wanted to know if you could possibly finish the report on this before you leave." 

"Well, I'm sure I could, but it needs your signature as well, Simon." Rafe looked at the older man. 

Simon sighed and motioned at his desk. "With all this paperwork, I'm not going anywhere soon, Rafe." 

Rafe smiled and stood. 

"Did you want to grab something to eat tonight after we finally get out of here?" 

Simon waited, hands clenched as he watched the younger man consider his offer. 

"Sure, where do you want to go?" Rafe asked. "I left some steaks thawing at my place. I was going to invite Jim and Blair over for a celebratory dinner." 

"Sounds good to me. Have you asked Jim and Blair?" 

"Blair had some kind of university commitment." 

Simon smiled. 

* * *

"These are really good, Rafe." Simon said, motioning at the half eaten steak and baked potatoes still on his plate. 

"Thanks, my cousin sends them to me. He owns a cattle ranch in New Mexico and in return for me taking my vacation there and helping out, he sends me meat." Rafe explained in between bites of steak. 

Simon nodded, chewing and swallowing. Rafe stared at the rythmic movement of muscles in the older man's throat, his groin tightening. Resolutely, he squashed the thoughts that occurred to him, shifting in his chair. Grabbing his plate and his empty beer, he moved into the kitchen, placing them on the counter. 

"Simon, you need another beer?" 

"Sure." 

Grabbing out the cool bottles, Rafe sighed, closing his eyes and pushing the thoughts of his boss under him, over him, in him away and readjusting the tightness beneath his fly. 

"For me?" a voice whispered in his ear, the bulk of a man's body warmth behind him. His eyes flew open and he twisted around to see Simon behind him, still holding his plate in his hand. His eyes widened and then closed as a warm set of lips brushed his own, returning time and time again, kissing him slightly deeper every time. Suddenly a tongue brushed his lips and he moaned, opening his mouth to let his tongue duel with the intruder. 

He opened his eyes, dazed to find he still held the bottles of beer and Simon the empty dinner plate, as the warmth drew away. 

"Rafe, I need to know that this is okay. Is it?" Simon asked, concern in his eyes as he stared at the younger man, pushed against the fridge door. 

Rafe blinked and nodded, not trusting himself to speak at the moment. Simon carefully reached to take the bottles of beer and placing them and his plate on the counter next to the refridgerator. He grasped the hand of his detective, _his_ detective, and pulled the younger man to sit in his lap, straddling his legs as he sat at the table. 

Rafe smiled slowly, lowering his head to softly kiss the other man, feeling a matching hardness against his own. He rocked slowly against it, listening to the low moan the escaped Simon as he began to buck up. 

"oohhh.... god, yes...." He heard the words and wondered which of them had uttered the low words, then forgot his wondering as he felt the world reduce itself to the boiling of warmth in his groin and the feel of the man straining under him. Then even that was forgotten as the warmth in his groin exploded, his eyes locked on the face of his lover in climax. 

The two men sat quietly, panting as the sensations receded to a more controllable level. The cool air brushed over them, and Rafe raised his head from his lover's shoulder. 

"Are you okay?" 

"If I was any more okay, I'd be dead. Thank you." Simon leaned up to kiss the swollen lips above his. "Rafe, I don't want this to be a one-time thing." 

"Nor do I. Simon, you've been the most important man in my life for a long time." Rafe said, watching the effect the words had on his lover. 

Simon bowed his head, raising it only to try to devour the mouth that he'd fantasized about. His hands gripped and squeezed the firm buttocks that filled his hands the way he'd imagined and he leaned back to quietly say, "I love you." 

"And I love you, Simon." 

* * *

End Bright Star in a Dim Universe. 

 


End file.
